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Vista Makes Creative Labs Dupe Linux

05-17-2007, 08:40 AM

If you were hoping to use a Creative X-Fi series sound card under Linux in the near future, think again. Last June we told you that Creative was planning on Q2'2007 for delivering a binary blob to support the X-Fi series along with delivering full support for ALSA and OpenAL v1.1 with EAX effects. Creative has now updated their open-source page saying that their closed-source X-Fi Linux driver will not even be in a public beta until the end of third quarter or fourth quarter this year. With the beta not even being available until the end of the year, we would be very surprised if Creative Labs will even deliver a stable X-Fi driver this year at all. What's the reason for this delay? It's due to Microsoft's Vista: "It has taken more resources than expect[ed] to redesign our software and drivers for Vista." Keep in mind that the driver they will be delivering to Linux X-Fi owners isn't even open-source.

It was bad enough when it took ATI about six months to deliver a Radeon X1000 "R500" Linux driver, but it will be over two years since Creative first introduced the X-Fi series and we still have no Linux support -- thanks to Microsoft Vista.

According to the ALSA's Sound Card Support Matrix, the Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi series still lacks any form of support from their open-source driver. The only path for Linux support at this time is purchasing the OSS driver from 4Front Technologies, but OSS is only rumored to support the X-Fi Xtreme Audio.

Nice cards, yes. But adequate sound, albeit not the coolest, comes out of most of the other sound devices out there, including USB ones. If you're not going to support me fully in whatever manner possible in exchange for supporting a boondoggle (and it was VERY obvious that Vista was that for the vendors out of the gate- but they went like lemmings over that cliff...) you lose my patronage.

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If I were Creative, I'd be working on damage control. Vista was an expensive waste of time for quite a few vendors (ATI... NVidia... Apparently, Creative...) and everyone's looking at MacOS and Linux very hard right now as an option- because Vista's NOT it.

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This doesn't surprise me a bit. Creative has long been known for a slow and inept driver development no matter what the OS is. Until gaming publishers start seeing linux as a viable platform to publish games on you will continue getting the brush off from vendors like creative.

Gaming is the last major hurdle that linux has to overcome to become a mainstream OS. Until a publisher has the balls to publish the next killer game on linux 6 months before the windows version, this will never change. Sure we get tossed the odd "Me too" bone like Quake, UT and Doom but more often then not we are expected to go "Wow!" when a ancient game that appeared on Windows in 2001 finally get ported to linux (Ballistix).

There is however a tiny good thing that Vista has done for linux. With Microsoft's short sightedness and not bringing out a native accelerated sound API in Vista, the focus on OpenAL is now stronger then ever. This means that more soundcard companies are going to be concentrating on OpenAL support and development instead of just only Creative and now defunct Nvidia audio.

If you truly want good gaming hardware support in linux look for a small developer that has the next killer game and start hounding them before the code has gone to far to be portable. Get them to publish the linux version 6 months ahead of windows. A perfect candidate is http://www.projectoffset.com/.

[End Rant]

PS The last creative card I bought was a SoundBlaster 32. I have been able to find plenty of great alternatives since then.

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If you truly want good gaming hardware support in linux look for a small developer that has the next killer game and start hounding them before the code has gone to far to be portable. Get them to publish the linux version 6 months ahead of windows. A perfect candidate is http://www.projectoffset.com/.

[End Rant]

PS The last creative card I bought was a SoundBlaster 32. I have been able to find plenty of great alternatives since then.

I completely Agree to this. This is how you start to break the evil circle. However the downside is that you will probably get the group of weenies that would probably file a class action lawsuit that the client version is NOT for windows but released first for linux.

But couldn't they release the Windows Server version with the linux client version. would that not keep them happy?

I will NEVER buy a Sound card. I just rely on the onboard sound anyway. I have had a creative card but that was a soundblaster 16. I dont feel the need to have a crazy soundcard in my machines.

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If you truly want good gaming hardware support in linux look for a small developer that has the next killer game and start hounding them before the code has gone to far to be portable. Get them to publish the linux version 6 months ahead of windows. A perfect candidate is http://www.projectoffset.com/.

The largest problem with that line of thought is that you're asking the developer to take an initial hit in revenues. The Linux user base, while substantive enough to merit simultaneous releases is NOT large enough for them to do something like that unless they're Linux fans in the first place. That's an awfully tall order, especially for an Indie studio.

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And this is EXACTLY why my new soundcard became a RAZER instead. As opposed to any of the XFI BS which lets face it, just doesn't cut the mustard at all! The Razer works under Windows Vista/XP perfectly and the quality, I haven't heard anything better at all! And until a year ago I always brought Creative, but they're old hat these days. Their products haven't changed, they've gotten lazy!

The Razer I've just brought also has Optical In/Out on the card and it really does just rock. Under Linux its worked natively for me but then again, I haven't tried anything intense yet either. Games under Windows have become just scary, especially when you can hear the voices, they're so crisp its not funny!

Thanks Creative, for producing a complete lack of rubbish that made me look to see who else was around doing sound cards. I've heard the sound, and the sound is RAZER!

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But when the Razer is only £135 as opposed to Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro 7.1 Soundcard which comes in at £220 and doesn't come close in sound quality. Cheaper in this case is actually better! And as for onboard sound, you don't know what you're missing!